Sony is showing off an advanced lampshade made up of dye-sensitized solar cells that capture light and convert it into electricity at the Eco-Products 2008 show in Japan on Thursday.
The prototype is called Hana-Akari and uses what Sony calls is a process similar to photosynthesis to capture energy from any light source. Sony claims the technology is relatively inexpensive to manufacture compared to typical solar cells and relies on internal pigmented cells of various colors to capture light, including its own, and convert it into electricity. The company has not revealed if or when it expects to bring the technology to market or in what products.
Source: Electronista